Acetylene-gas generator.



R. D. BBADEN.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5. 1911.

Patented July 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- R. D. BRADEN.

ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 5. 1911.

1,147,843. Patented July 27, 1915.

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ROBERT D. BRADEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 OXWELD ACE'IYLENE COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

To all whOm it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT D. BRADEN, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Gas Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to acetylene gas generators of that well known type employing a generation chamber adapted to contain a body of water, a superposed carbid holder, a gasometer having a rising and falling gasometer bell, and a carbid feed device beneath the discharge mouth of the carbid holder actuated by and from the gasometer bell to deliver successive charges of carbid into the generation chamber.

The carbid feed device, in the form of generator to which my present invention relates, consists of a pivoted, oscillatory feedshoe located directly beneath the discharge mouth of the carbid holder and adapted to successively receive from the latter and deliver into the generation chamber measured quantities of carbid. Hitherto the splash of water, as the chargeof carbid falls into the latter, has had a tendency to wet the carbid feed-shoe, so that the ca-rbid falling into the same would partially slake, and the lime residue would tendto stick to the inner walls of the bottom andfsides of the feed-shoe, thereby more or less retarding the free discharge of the cal-bid therefrom. Furthermore, the warmmoisture-laden gas, passing over the feed-shoe during its exit from the generation chamber, would become cooled thereby and would deposit out on the feed-shoe and on the lower end of the carbid holder a portion of its moisture, which latter would also tend to partially slake the carbid in the feed-shoe, with the objectionable results above noted.

One object of my invention, therefore, is to increase the efliciency and reliability of action of the carbid feed device, which object I accomplish through the provision of means for substantially preventing the wetting of the carbid feed device either through back splash of the Water or condensation of moisture in the escaping gas.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified mechanism for actuating the carbi'd feed device from the gasometer bell, and for automatically throwing out of commission such actuating Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 5, 1911.

Patented July 27, 1915.

Serial No. 647,481.

means when the gasometer is substantially empty, or the gasometer bell sinks to an abnormally low point, and also when the carbid holder is opened for recharging.

Other minor objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is a perspective elevational view of the complete apparatus, showing the gas ometer bell in raised position corresponding with the non-delivery position (Fig. 4-.) of the feed-shoe. Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section through the upper or neck portion of the generator and showing the ca-rbid feedshoe in rear end elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective elevation of the lower end of the hopper and feed-shoe therebeneath, showing the latter in discharging or dumping position. Fig. 1 is a sectional detail of the parts shown in Fig. 2 taken in a plane at right-angles to the plane of the latter figure, and showing the carbid feed-shoe in non-dumping position. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail partly in plan and partly in horizontal section of the feed-shoe actuating means. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates the lower or body portion, and 11 the up per contracted or neck portion of the gen- 1grating tank forming the generation cham- 12 designates the carbid holder or hopper, to the lower portion of which is secured by a gas-tight joint, a depending cylindrical extension 13 that is removably attached to the neck 11 of the generating tank by mating collars 13 and 11 on the lower and upper ends of the members 13 and 11, respectively, an interposed gusset or packing ring 14, and bolts 15.

16 designates the gasometer tank, 17 the gasometer bell telescoping within the gasometer tank, 18 the gas delivery pipe leading from the hollow extension 13 ofthe carbid holder into the gasometer tank, and 19 the discharge-spout for the sludge in the vgenerating tank; these parts being all as usual in generators of thls type.

Pivotally 1 suspended beneath the discharge mouth 12 of the carbid hopper is the carbid feed-shoe 20. This feed shoe is, in the main, of a known type, and comprises generally a substantially rectangular receptacle 20" closed at one end and at its discharge end communicating with an underlying delivery-chute 20 disposed at an acute angle to the receptacle 20 so that when the shoe is in the position illustrated in Fig. l a charge of carbid flows through the mouth l2 of the hopper and open end of the receptacle 20 into the rear or closed end of the chute 20 and, when the shoe is tilted to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 this charge falls from the chute into the generation chamber, 'a portion of the next charge simultaneously flowing into the closed end of the upper receptacle 20 The shoe 20 is fast on a rock'shaft 21 that is journaled in bearings formed in or on the cylindrical wall 13 and extends through the gasometer side of the latter as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Secured to the outer end of the shaft 21 is a crank-arm 22 (Fig. 7) which is provided at its outer end with a pivoted trip member 23, this latter being so mounted on the end of the arm as to yield when struck in the upward direction, but be practically rigid with the arm when struck in the downward direction. On the arm 22 is an upwardly inclined branch 24, the function of which will hereinafter appear.

The gasometer bell 17 is guided in its rising and falling movements on the usual vertical guides 25; and to the upper end of the bell is rigidly secured an angle-strip 26, to the outer end of the upper horizontal portion of which is pivoted at 27 so as to be capable of swinging in a horizontal plane a trip-bar or rod 28. This latter is so positioned that normally its path of movement, under the rise and descent of the gasometer bell, will intersect the trip or latch 23 of the crank-arm 22, so that the latter will be struck by the bar 28 on its descending movement, thereby rocking the shaft 21 in a direction to tilt the carbid feed-shoe into dumping or discharging position; the latter being counter-weighted, as shown at 20, so as to normally swing back to non-discharging position as soon as permitted by the rise of the bar 28. When the supply of carbid runs low or becomes exhausted, or for any other reason the gasometer bell 17 descends to an abnormally low position, the bar 28 will pass below the trip 23, thus disconnecting the carbid feed actuating mechanism, of which the bar 28 and trip 23 form parts. On the subsequent rise of the gasometer bell, after the carbid holder has been recharged, the bar 28, striking the trip 23 on its lower side, will swing it upwardly to the inoperative position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 7 so that it will be necessary for the attendant of the machine to manually restore the trip 23 to normal or working position before the regular operation of the machine can be resumed. This last described feature is in the nature of a safety device, in that it prevents the automatic resumption of the generation of gas at a time when the valves of burners or lights may be open.

The upper inclined branch 24 of the crank-arm 22 is not calledinto play during the normal operation of the machine; but, in the event that the pivot-shaft of the feedshoe should become partially obstructed in its oscillating movements, the bar 28, on rising, will strikethe branch arm 24: and thereby positively rock the feed-shoe into idle or inoperative position. The branch 24 is, therefore, simply a check upon the operation of the counter-weighted feed-shoe.

The carbid holder 12 is provided with an interference device herein shown as comprising a bent strap 29 pivoted substantially between its ends at 30 to the intermediate cylindrical wall of the carbid holder, the upper part of said strap overlying the top of the carbid holder and provided with a spring end portion 29 adapted to engage an upstanding pin 31 in the usual filling plug 32 at the top of the carbid holder. The lower depending portion of the strap 29 is laterally ofl -set, as shown in Fig. 1, and the same passes through a slot 33 Fig. 5) formed in and longitudinally of the tripbar 28. The interference strap 29 is normally urged toward the release position of the filling plug by a tensile spring 34, and a clip 35 secured to the wall of the carbid holder and engaging the strap 29 below its pivot prevents the accidental swinging of the strap in the wrong direction. When the holder is to be filled, the spring end portion 29 is disengaged from the pin 31, and the strap swings on the pivot 30 in such a direction that the lower portion thereof swings the bar 28 outwardly where it is entirely disengaged from the crank-arm 22 and trip 23. Hence, the carbid feeding mechanism is automatically thrown out of commission whenever the carbid holder is opened 'for recharging, inspection, or repairs.

To prevent the wetting of the feed-shoe by the upward splashing of the water as a charge of carbid drops into the latter, I provide the following instrumentalities: 36 designates a shield that extends across the neck of the generation chamber directly below the feed-shoe. This shield is, of course, provided on the side thereof which is below the discharge mouth of the feed-shoe with a free opening 37 of suflicient size topermit the charge to flow readily therethrough, and it is also provided inwardly of said opening with a small drain aperture 38, below which is a bafile-plate or guard 39. The shield 36 arrests the splash of most of the water and guards the feed-shoe in large measure therefrom. As an auxiliary guard against the splash of water on to the inner surface of the feed-shoe, I form on the discharge end of the latter a depending flange or lip 4E0 which is instrumental in checking a considerable portion of the upward splash through the opening 37. The warm moisture laden gas rising from the generation chamber through the neck thereof and flowing around the feed-shoe deposits a considerable portion of its moisture which condenses, flowing down the wall 13, and dripping from the feed-shoe 20, on to the guard 36, whence it exceeding the length of the feed-shoe, so that drip from the edge of the deflector 41 falls on to the guard-plate 36 and drains off the latter without entering the feed-shoe. By means of these several provisions I am enabled to effectively guard the interior of the feed-shoe against accumulations of moisture and the consequent formation of incrustations of lime, which latter tend to block and clog the feed-shoe, and interfere with the smooth and regular flow of carbid therethrough.

The severeal described improvements are herein shown in practical forms which have been embodied in machines employed in actual'service and found to be satisfactory; but it will be evident to those skilled in the art that the precise forms and constructions of these improvements may be modified in detail without departing from the principles involved or sacrificing any of the advantages attained; and hence I do not limit the invention to the particular forms, constructions and arrangements shown and described ex cept to the extent clearly indicated in specific claim.

I claim In an acetylene generator, the combination of a generation tank, a superposed carbid hopper at its lower end extending into the upper end of said tank, a pivoted carbid feed device beneath said hopper, and a shield of inverted cone shape extending across the generation tank directly beneath said feed device, said shield being formed with an unobstructed opening registering with the discharge end of said feed device when the latter is in carbid-discharging position, and with a drain aperture at its lower end for disposing of condensed moisture forming above the shield, and an underlying baflie-plate beneath said drain aperture, substantially as described.

ROBERT D. BRADEN.

Witnesses:

SAMUEL N. POND, DAISY C. THORSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

